Sandiganbayan junks graft case vs Marcos crony

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan has junked an ill-gotten wealth case filed by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) against the late Energy Minister Geronimo Velasco more than two decades ago.

Also cleared as respondents to the case were the late President Ferdinand Marcos and former first lady Imelda Marcos.

In its 78-page ruling, the anti-graft court’s First Division said the prosecution presented insufficient evidence to prove that Velasco was a Marcos crony who amassed ill-gotten wealth as a Cabinet secretary and enjoyed closeness with Marcos during the latter’s rule.

“In the instant case, the alleged close relations between Velasco and the Marcoses manifested by either complicity and/or acquiescence were unfortunately not proven by the plaintiff,” the Sandiganbayan said.

“During the course of the trial, there was no iota of proof presented by the plaintiff to establish complicity and/or acquiescence between Velasco with the spouses Marcoses, which would qualify the instant case as an ill-gotten wealth case,” the decision dated June 16, 2011 read.

Velasco, who died on July 17, 2007, served as energy minister from 1973 to 1986 while also chairman and president of the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) during the same period.

He was accused of bagging government contracts and even using PNOC funds for the benefit of companies that he had interests in, like the construction of the Telin Beach Resort.

“We cannot equate appointment to a Cabinet position with being a ‘close associate,’ to the point of categorically stating that such professional relationship was used in concert with other schemes and stratagems for the procurement of ill-gotten wealth,” the Sandiganbayan said.

“Similarly, we cannot conclude that defendant Velasco and President Marcos playing golf together would automatically make them close associates,” said the ruling, referring to Velasco’s own admissions that he played golf with the former president.